Forestry or Archaeology?

Hi, I am planning on applying to uni this year and I’m struggling to decide between an archaeology degree or a forestry/woodland conservation degree. I love archaeology as a subject and I know that I’d be very happy doing it , I also have a better personal statement for archeology because I have experience at digs, however the career prospects for archeology and the thought of having a degree that I cannot use scares me, Ideally I’d like a Job in museum curation but I know that that is a hard field to break into. On the other hand I like the look of a forestry degree or something related to wildlife conservation, from what I’ve read the career prospects for forestry are better than archaeology, I have some experience volunteering with a wildlife group but besides than I don’t have much to put in my personal statement. I don’t think I’d find forestry as interesting as archaeology but I’m concerned about my future prospects, university is expensive and I’d hate to regret my decision. If anyone has any advice on possible career prospects for either subject it’d be appreciated.

Reply 1

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

19

Original post by Beabea77

Hi, I am planning on applying to uni this year and I’m struggling to decide between an archaeology degree or a forestry/woodland conservation degree. I love archaeology as a subject and I know that I’d be very happy doing it , I also have a better personal statement for archeology because I have experience at digs, however the career prospects for archeology and the thought of having a degree that I cannot use scares me, Ideally I’d like a Job in museum curation but I know that that is a hard field to break into. On the other hand I like the look of a forestry degree or something related to wildlife conservation, from what I’ve read the career prospects for forestry are better than archaeology, I have some experience volunteering with a wildlife group but besides than I don’t have much to put in my personal statement. I don’t think I’d find forestry as interesting as archaeology but I’m concerned about my future prospects, university is expensive and I’d hate to regret my decision. If anyone has any advice on possible career prospects for either subject it’d be appreciated.

Consulting engineering companies employ archeologists. They will be involved in the monitoring and excavation of infrastructure sites, such as new road/rail developments, etc. Aecom is one example, but there are many more:

https://aecom.com/uk/environment-services/archaeology_cultural_heritage/

Also, have a look at the following website for career opportunities for archeologists:

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/archaeologist

Reply 2

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1888/Qualified-for-the-Future-Quantifying-demand-for-arts-humanities-social-science-skills.pdf is worth a read

If you don't think forestry is as interesting as archaeology then do you think it's a good idea to take such a highly vocational degree over one like archaeology which will also equip you with more transferable skills to move into a range of careers....picking a degree that has a more obvious career path might be tempting but if you're not enthusiastic about the degree then committing to that career path seems like a rash decision to make!

Original post by Beabea77

Hi, I am planning on applying to uni this year and I’m struggling to decide between an archaeology degree or a forestry/woodland conservation degree. I love archaeology as a subject and I know that I’d be very happy doing it , I also have a better personal statement for archeology because I have experience at digs, however the career prospects for archeology and the thought of having a degree that I cannot use scares me, Ideally I’d like a Job in museum curation but I know that that is a hard field to break into. On the other hand I like the look of a forestry degree or something related to wildlife conservation, from what I’ve read the career prospects for forestry are better than archaeology, I have some experience volunteering with a wildlife group but besides than I don’t have much to put in my personal statement. I don’t think I’d find forestry as interesting as archaeology but I’m concerned about my future prospects, university is expensive and I’d hate to regret my decision. If anyone has any advice on possible career prospects for either subject it’d be appreciated.

I'm not sure you are weighing up the options completely accurately (although there is no complete accuracy, this is life!). First, don't conflate Forestry with wildlife conservation, there is not so much crossover, and many forestry jobs will be quite commercial and in tension with conservation. At least view wildlife conservation as a separate path to Forestry, giving you 3 options.

Maybe to help you make your decision, think about whether you want to protect the past (Archeology) or the future (Forestry or Wildlife Conservation)? As you seem to have worked out, both archeology and wildlife conservation are careers that often look for applicants to have large amounts of voluntary experience at entry level, so consider what opportunities you have there. Volunteering is the best way to test out what careers look like, so maybe see if you can volunteer for your county wildlife trust or similar.

They are all likely to be expanding rather than contracting careers, so I wouldn't worry about the job side of things as much as working out which sector you'd be happiest in.

Reply 4

Artjen

14

Contact your local National Nature Reserve and ask about work experience/volunteering. Most of them are run by Natural England who work closely with Historic England because conservation projects are often intrinsically entwined with historic landscapes. Natural England actually has historic specialists and qualified archaeologists working for them, so there may be more crossover between these two careers than you think.

Forestry or Archaeology?

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